Any member of a group of fat-soluble chromanols that exhibit biological activity against vitamin E deficiency. The vitamers in this class consists of a chroman-6-ol core which is substituted at position 2 by a methyl group and (also at position 2) either a saturated or a triply-unsaturated hydrocarbon chain consisting of three isoprenoid units. The major function of vitamin E is to act as a natural antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and molecular oxygen.
| Member | Definition | Role |
|---|
| beta-tocopherol | A tocopherol in which the chroman-6-ol core is substituted by methyl groups at positions 5 and 8. While it is found in low concentrations in many vegetable oils, only cottonseed oil contains significant amounts. | beta-tocopherol |
| delta-tocopherol | A tocopherol in which the chroman-6-ol core is substituted by a methyl group at position 8. It is found particularly in maize (corn) oil and soya bean (soybean) oils. | delta-tocopherol |
| gamma-tocopherol | A tocopherol in which the chroman-6-ol core is substituted by methyl groups at positions 7 and 8. It is found particularly in maize (corn) oil and soya bean (soybean) oils. | gamma-tocopherol |
| gamma-tocotrienol | A tocotrienol that is chroman-6-ol substituted by methyl groups at positions 2, 7 and 8 and a farnesyl chain at position 2. A vitamin E family member that has potent anti-cancer properties against a wide-range of cancers. | gamma-tocotrienol |
| tocotrienol, alpha | A tocotrienol that is chroman-6-ol substituted by methyl groups at positions 2, 5, 7 and 8 and a farnesyl chain at position 2. It has been found in palm oil derived from Elaeis guineensis. | alpha-tocotrienol |
| tocotrienol, beta | A tocotrienol that is chroman-6-ol substituted by methyl groups at positions 2, 5 and 8 and a farnesyl chain at position 2. It has been isolated from various cultivars of wheat. | beta-tocotrienol |
| tocotrienol, delta | A tocotrienol that is chroman-6-ol substituted by methyl groups at positions 2 and 8 and a farnesyl chain at position 2. | delta-tocotrienol |